Follow Me! Series

I want to begin this morning by asking you a question. You don’t need to respond but I just want you to think about these questions? When I say electrician what pops into your mind, plumber, remodeler or astronaut. For me I would respond to these questions by attaching a person to those connected with those trades or jobs.

For the last few weeks we have been considering the Power, Potential and Purpose of our calling in Jesus. In our text today Jesus is walking beside the Sea of Galilee after being in the wilderness for 40 days (Matt 4:1-11) He has received the news that John the Baptist has been imprisoned.

As Jesus is walking is walking, He finds two brothers that were fishing, and He calls them to follow Him this is the calling of His first two disciples. (Read the Text)

Sermon Text: Matt 4:18-22

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. NIV

So when I say “disciple” what comes to your mind, for most we would call them Christians. But when we consider the term Christian as mentioned in Acts 11:26 was a term signifying the identification with Jesus as a follower. I must point out that this term Christian implies that a person has accepted Jesus as Savor. Before people were called Christian, they were called disciples a term used 266 time in the New Testament. The term Christian only is found 3 times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1 Pet 4:16). To be a Christian should imply that a person is a follower of Jesus and a disciple of Jesus. Becoming a Christian comes by an act of salvation becoming a disciple is an act of commitment to learn and follow the teaching of Jesus.

The term disciple means to be a learner or pupil, to be a disciple of Jesus means to learn and study the ways of the one we identify with like being a Christian. So When we accept Jesus as we become a Christian we must commit to the teaching or student of Jesus.

God molds and shape the Disciples life. God is the potter and the disciple is the clay to be molded and shape by Him, He is the shepherd and we are the sheep. We Belong to Jesus and have been bought with a price.

1 Cor 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. NIV

5) Our goal or objective in life is not to get God to bless our dreams and ambitions but to our goal or objective in life is to find God’s plan for us and a line our lives with Him. Our live should be molded and shape by God’s plans for our life. His plans are much better than our plans we have for ourselves.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ”.

Bill Hull said, “all who are called to salvation are called to discipleship, no exceptions, no excuses.” He also said, “Our churches are for making disciples and disciples are God’s gift to the world.”

Discipleship is the only hope for this world, it has worked because it hasn’t been done – it hasn’t been done been done because we are distracted, we are an impatient lot because we are more interested in ourselves and our kingdoms than Christ and His. Only when a person submits to a community of serious Christ followers can they learn to do all Christ commanded.” – Bill Hull

If we were to ask the general public the question “Are You a Christian?” Many would respond my saying yes, in fact in a survey taken in the United States 71 Percent of Americans Identify as Christian. It is celebrated widely in the United States, where 71 percent of Americans identify as Christians. That figure includes 25 percent who belong to evangelical Christian denominations, 20 percent Catholics, 15 percent mainline Protestants, and 7 percent attending historically black Protestant churches.

(Reference: www.newsmax.com/scottrasmussen/christian-easter-sunday/2018/03/30/id/851712/)

I wonder if we were to ask the same group of people were, they disciples of Jesus, wonder what the answer would be.